1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of and apparatus for recording an image. More particularly, the present invention pertains to an image recording method wherein an image recorded on a thermal developing photosensitive material is transferred to an image-receiving material in the presence of an image forming solvent, thereby recording the image on the image-receiving material. The present invention is also concerned with an apparatus suitably employed to carry out the above-described method.
2. Description of the Related Art
One type of image recording apparatus employs a thermal developing photosensitive material to obtain a color image. One example of this type of apparatus is shown in the specification Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 75247/1984. In this known apparatus, an image is formed on a thermal developing photosensitive material by light exposure in an exposing section. The photosensitive material is then transported to a thermal developing section to effect thermal development. Then, an image-receiving paper is brought into close contact with the thermally developed photosensitive material, and the developed image is transferred to the image-receiving paper by a transfer process.
Before being transported to the transfer section, the image-receiving paper is given a transfer assistant (i.e., an image forming solvent) such as water for the purpose of improving the transfer efficiency.
For this purpose, in the apparatus disclosed in the above-described specification of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 75247/1984, water is applied to the image-receiving paper by means of a roller soaked with water. With this arrangement, however, the application of water is apt to lack in uniformity, and this leads to uneven transfer, disadvantageously.
There has heretofore been proposed another prior art apparatus wherein, before being transported to the transfer section, the image-receiving paper is passed through a water tank so as to be coated with water. This apparatus suffers, however, from the following problems. When the image-receiving paper is passed through the water tank, water is also applied to the reverse surface of the paper, which means that the image-receiving paper may curl, and the quantity of heat required during heat transfer is increased. In addition, since water is applied all over the image-receiving paper, when the paper is brought into close contact with the photosensitive material for effecting transfer, surplus water is squeezed to overflow together with the emulsion coated on the image-carrying portion, thus causing a feed roller, a developing roller and the like to become stained.